That's why they won't do it all at once. First they'll introduce a special kind of more limited application where Microsoft has to approve them before you are allowed to install them. Then they'll have some editions of Windows only allow those limited applications. Finally they'll keep expanding that until only $$$ enterprise customers can run applications that haven't been approved by Microsoft.

These big tech companies are well acquainted with managing consumer backlash for unpopular changes.

What would said consumers do about it? Nothing, that's what. No matter how much you think they should do, they won't. Just like your phone isn't a Linux phone.

I guarantee you if steam was blocked on windows, lots of gamers would do something about it. They are generally technically adept people, and if their multi-hundred pound library of games suddenly got taken away from them on windows, many would buy a steam deck or dual boot linux to get that back.

Yeah they'd probably run the same .exe files from their steam folders. And to buy new games, they'd go where games are sold. Which would be the Microsoft store. Which would be extremely beneficial for Microsoft.

There would be no update mechanism meaning games would get out of date with no way to apply patches, and no steam api for multiplayer games meaning nothing would work online.

You seem to not really know much about the subject so I will stop debating with you here.